MWRC Safety Officer
Paul French
(Click on Paul's name to contact him)

To report an accident using the new OARS
(Online Accident Reporting System)
Go to the International web page
(click International link above)
and then click on the Members Only link
Once in the Members Only area
click the second link in the RED box near the
bottom of the page to go to the OARS page

This time we focus on your motorcycle tires. With the issue being TIRE AGE! Many riders may unknowingly be riding or even worse, buying (new?) tires that in fact are not very new! So, let's get some facts in our pocket regarding reading the tires so you know HOW OLD the tire you are riding or buying really is.
Some tire facts for you to know:
All tires sold in the USA have to have a date code embossed in a sidewall.
The code is preceded by the DOT name.
The date code is ONLY on one side of a tire.
A tire built “before” 2000 uses a three (3) digit date code.
Those pre-2000 codes = first 2 numbers are the WEEK; the last digit is the YEAR i.e. a code 379 means 37th week of year 1999.
Also, a sideways triangle located at the END of the serial number denotes a tire built during the 90s decade.
Now, let's switch to the years 2000 up through now; with year 2000 the date codes switch to four (4) digits.
The 2000 on tires = first 2 numbers are the WEEK; the last two digits are the YEAR i.e. a code 4106 means 41st week of year 2006.
Let's see a typical sidewall number:
DOT IA HR 2AE2 2209
DOT - means the tire meets the U.S. DOT tire safety standards.
IA - a tire manufacturers plant identification code, in this case IA is IOWA (where a number of tires are built at several plants).
HR - The tire size code.
2AE2 - the different manufacturers set this code, it represents a type of tire (tractor, car, truck, motorcycle, etc.).
2209 - The 22 is the 22nd week of the year (in 2009 this is mid-May); the 09 means the year 2009.
A tire industry guideline is - a tire “shelf life” (sitting without being sold) is six (6) years maximum. Tires in use, should be REMOVED = after ten (10) years of age. Also tires with cracks in sidewalls or between treads should be removed.
Finally, always be sure - that a new tire is installed with a brand NEW VALVE STEM. Big mistake to put on good, “new” rubber and use old stems with aged rubber compound.
Winter is here, time to look at tires, browse the dealers and magazines and see what you can do for your safety by putting the BEST RUBBER ON THE ROAD.